Hurricane Florence: Six dogs rescued by volunteer after being caged in rising floodwater

'We got them out, but by the time we left, the water was so high that they would have drowned,' says Marcus Di Paola who shared the video online

Amid the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, footage has emerged of six dogs locked in an outdoor cage from floodwaters in North Carolina.

Journalist Marcus Di Paola shared the video of the rescue effort that took place in the town of Leland in Brunswick County on Twitter.

A man identified as Ryan Nichols of Texas can be seen releasing the dogs standing on their hind legs in water from inside the cage.

Mr Di Paola wrote that the flood water was “rapidly rising” in the posts published to Twitter. The post has since been retweeted nearly 50,000 times.

“We got them out, but by the time we left, the water was so high that they would have drowned,” he wrote before urging people to take their pets with them when they evacuate their homes.

Florence made landfall in North Carolina on Friday morning, with officials warning some bodies of water throughout the Carolinas as a result, have reached record levels with catastrophic impacts.

Officials report the number of deaths related to Florence has risen to at least 17, with the death of a 3-month old baby reported on Sunday.

The US National Weather service warned that the flooding will get worse in areas in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia in a post published to Twitter on Sunday.

“River levels will continue to rise today and early this week,” the statement read. “If you live near a body of water, don't let your guard down and follow local evacuation orders!”